Welcome to another edition of “people call Kevin a liberal heretic for quoting the Bible.”
It’s been a while, so I figured it was time to spread my own little brand of cheer, so buckle up, because we’re going to be punching back at a pretty common Bible stance today.
It’s pretty common right now to quote Romans 13 (“everyone must submit to governing authorities”) and Daniel 2:21 (“The Lords tears down Kings and sets up Kings.”) Notice that I say “right now,” because for some reason those verses were missing from people’s lips from about, oh, Jan 2021 to Dec 2024. It’s inexplicable.
The basic idea here is that if we have a king or president, that is because God CHOSE them to be in that role. God picks the ruler, and it’s our job to fall in line behind them. You will hear this all the time in regards to President Trump – He might be an incompetent corrupt hooligan, but God must WANT us to have an incompetent corrupt hooligan. And we add in something about Cyrus.
Of course, we don’t say this for ALL rulers. If it’s a ruler we don’t like, we like to pull out the book of Acts and say “we must obey God rather than men.” Because when the rulers are doing something we don’t like, that must be because God wants us to stand up to them.
I’m sure you see why this is a little problematic for theological consistency.
HOSEA CAN YOU SEE
But, aside from consistency, I have a different point today. The whole premise of “God chooses leaders” is just wrong. It’s not biblical, and in some ways we all know this. People who very loudly say God chose Trump do not really think God chose Obama in the same way, and for sure not Biden. They will sometimes SAY they do, but they do it in an awfully quiet voice. And don’t even get me started on Hitler or Stalin.
So what to do here? Well, as usual, if people would actually read their Bibles, the answer is right there.
Hosea 8:4 – “The people have appointed kings without my consent, and princes without my approval.”
Do you see? God allows people to pick the rulers they want quite often (not always, of course). After all, God originally said he didn’t want the people to have a king at all, but the people demanded and so along comes Saul. Who, by the way, kinda stunk. But, God let the people have their way.
Not only that, Hosea tells us WHY the people do it: “By making idols for themselves from their silver and gold, they have brought about their own destruction.” Why do people want to support these ungodly leaders? Money.
Ask people why they support President Trump, and you know what’s always in the mix? Stop taxes. Stop using my money for other people (like refugees or the poor). Get me more money for my business.
It sucks to admit, but it is what it is. God did NOT pick Trump. WE did. Because we want more money, and we don’t want to help others.
CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR
The worst thing is, we don’t actually get the thing we want. In Hosea 10:4, the prophet complains rulers don’t even do the thing we were hoping for:
The rulers “make many promises, take false oath, and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.”
Hmm, making promises and not following through, making deals to benefit themselves, and an amazing array of lawsuits. My oh my, how things have changed.
And the idea that God MUST be blessing them (or us) because of our wealth? Nope. Hosea has something to say about that as well in 12:7-8:
“The merchant uses dishonest scales and loves to defraud. [They] boast “I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin.”
All that wealth just means that you’ve been successful in ripping other people off (for the most part). And heads up, God is watching. He who has an ear, let him hear.
My friends, God did not give us President Trump, and He’s not blessing you with material wealth because of it. Wealth is rarely a sign of God’s blessing, particularly in the New Testament. WE gave us President Trump, and we did it for the same reasons the Israelites wanted a king – for security and wealth.
Short sumup – Trump is not God’s pick for our nation. People who say God picked our President either don’t read the Bible, or think that God only gets it right when “our” candidate wins. It’s unBiblical, and God will not let it slide forever.
And Read the minor prophets this week if you can.